Visiting Canggu, Bali? Read This First Before You Go

Bali has been a mix of good and bad for me so far. Mainly because I arrived shortly after a breakup that was fresh in my mind and knew she was also staying in Canggu, an up-and-coming surfer spot. I didn’t want to have to run into her and get my feelings coming back. It’s best to go no-contact with these sorts of things.

With that being said I didn’t really enjoy Canggu as much as I would have liked.

I see the appeal and why it’s so popular but it’s not my favorite spot in Bali so far.

Canggu is a great place to live, work from your laptop, and surf.

Not to mention all the cool cafes, and beach clubs make it a desirable location for those that enjoy that sort of thing.

I’m not into drinking heavily at beach clubs and dining at hipster cafes so it wasn’t all I wanted it to be. Not that it’s a bad place by any means but I just had different expectations seeing that it’s an upcoming trendy area.

Being a virgin surfer I gave it a go and enjoyed it but got a brutal sunburn from that day which made meeting girls a bit of a challenge. LOL

One day while in Canggu I took a drive on a scooter to Tanah Lot, a very famous Hindu temple about 45 minutes West of where I was staying in Canggu. It was the most touristy thing I did and I was not super impressed.

You can’t go inside the actual temple which was disappointing but it was still fun to take pictures of it all.

Once I took a long walk around the entire temple it was time to leave. It would have been nice to stay for sunrise or sunset with that perfect golden hour but I was there during midday so my pictures just came out OK.

Tanah Lot Temple

Here’s what I’d recommend you do if you stay in Canggu:

Stay in a hostel, or a villa with a friend. You will meet other travellers at these places and will go out with them out on the town. I was alone in a villa and it was mainly just digital nomads working from their laptops so I really didn’t meet anyone else there on holiday.

Surf at Batu Bolong beach. I hired a surf instructor for 2 hours (350000 Rupiah or $35 NZD) and had a blast trying to surf. If you’re already a seasoned surfer or even just a step above absolute beginner, you can just rent a board for 50000 rupiah or $5 NZD.

If beach clubs are your thing, there are plenty in the area, mainly The Lawn and Echo Beach Club. There are others in the area but those are the 2 most notable ones. I’m not into that so I didn’t go.

Plenty of places to dine for Western food but at Western prices. All the little trendy cafes are easy to just drive up and chill for a little while.

Go to Tanah Lot Temple. As mentioned earlier, it would be best to go for sunset during the Golden Hour for the best photographs.

Get a workout in while you’re here. The Instagram famous Wanderlust Crossfit is here and if you want to meet your favorite Instagrammers this is probably the place to do it. My personal favorite is @LostLeBlanc, a Canadian Youtuber and Instagrammer who lives in Canggu. He works out there according to his Instagram Stories.

Canggu is close to Seminyak and the busy Kuta Beach if you don’t fancy lounging around on Batu Bolong beach. Batu Bolong is not the most beautiful beach in Bali but I’ve heard Kuta is better. More people too so that’ll help with socializing.

Final Thoughts

Not the right place for me at this time but I see the appeal. If I was working from my laptop full-time I could see myself coming back for a longer stay but I was more interested in doing more touristy stuff while on my holiday. Bali is a big island and this is just a small sliver of what to see and do. Traffic is always the typical Southeast Asian struggle, and if you’ve been there you know what I’m talking about, it takes forever to get anywhere from Canggu which is a big reason to just hop from place to place rather than stay based in one place and explore from there.

Nomad, Vagabond, Gallivanter, Globetrotter. A former wage slave to the corporate world of America and New Zealand, he now travels the world in search of exciting experiences and good company. Nick Grant is the sole founder and Editor-in-Chief of Traveller's Atlas. You find him on Twitter and Instagram @thatnickgrant